The incident happened on February 10 (the first day of the Dragon Festival). When the baby was TQD. (8 years old, living in Tan Tru, Long An) went to the kitchen to brush his teeth when suddenly he was bitten by a red-tailed viper on his left hand, causing pain and bleeding.
The snake was then killed by little D’s family. catch once more. The child’s bleeding was stopped and quickly taken to the emergency room at City Children’s Hospital (HCMC).
Here, the on-duty doctors noted that the child had swelling and bruising on his left hand, spreading to his left forearm, bleeding through the gauze, and his face was lethargic. Test results showed that the baby had severe blood clotting disorders.
The patient’s arm wound was bitten by a red-tailed viper. Photo: BSCC.
“Along with family members, the snake they caught was a red-tailed viper. Therefore, the doctors diagnosed the child as being bitten by a red-tailed viper and treated the child with 5 vials of specific anti-viper venom serum.” Specialist II doctor Nguyen Minh Tien, Deputy Director of City Children’s Hospital (HCMC), information.
After 6 hours of infusion of anti-snake venom serum, the snake bite swelled and spread to the left arm. The child was given 5 more vials. As a result, the patient’s condition improved following 24 hours, bleeding stopped. Snake bite wounds reduce swelling and bruising.
Through this case, Dr. Tien recommends that parents pay attention to clearing around the house to avoid snakes, bees, and insects from entering the house and attacking children. Young children also need to be guided when walking on grass, dense areas, bushes… to avoid walking barefoot or climbing.
Red-tailed viper. Photo: Thai National Parks.
The red-tailed green snake belongs to the green snake group. They have a triangular head, larger than the body, and an orange-red tail. Victims bitten by red-tailed greenhorns often have two tooth marks one centimeter apart, bleeding, and numbness. The toxicity of the red-tailed green is second only to king cobra venom, and can cause muscle necrosis, kidney failure, and severe blood clotting disorders.
When a child is bitten by a red-tailed viper, parents should not puncture the wound or squeeze blood from the bite to remove some of the venom. Do not tie a tourniquet on the wound, just bandage it. The child needs to be quickly taken to the hospital for treatment.
Any case of snake bite, even if it is determined to be a healthy snake, requires treatment and monitoring at the hospital for at least the first 12 hours. After 24-48 hours of accident, treatment is very difficult or ineffective.